March 2024 - 54

Intermediate Players
Mike's Bridge Lesson
Judgment when bidding against
an opening 1NT
D
o you play DONT, play Hamilton
or any of a plethora of
other conventional defenses
to 1NT?
What is your approach when
right-hand opponent opens a strong
notrump and you have this attractive
hand?
sA Q hK Q J 3 dK 9 3 cK J 9 8
It's fair to say that you have a better
hand than opener. How do you show
it?
Some conventions allow you to double
for penalty. If you can double for
penalty, should you?
Some conventions allow you to
show one or two suits. If your methods
allow you to show suits, should
you?
First, should you double for penalty?
It's hard to answer. You might
automatically say yes, but consider
this: Your partner has a lousy hand.
At most he has 4 or 5 HCP. He rates
to have less. If he has 1 or 2, or even
none, setting 1NT doubled will be
hard.
There's a guideline that will help
you here. Defending against 1NT is
tough. If you look at the scoresheet,
you will often note a hand where both
sides played in 1NT making seven or
eight tricks. This is common. Defending
against 1NT is difficult.
On the 19-point hand you have, you
can double but the result isn't always
favorable. Here's the layout which
proves nothing, but does give you
something to think about:
s A Q
h K Q J 3
d K 9 3
c K J 9 8
s K 10 9 3
h A 10 9
d A Q 10 2
c Q 2
You'll have a hard time holding
South to seven tricks. The result
reflects the fact that when you have
a balanced hand, you won't know for
sure where your tricks are coming
from. You will lead the hK, but if you
look carefully, you'll note that the h7
in the North hand becomes a trick for
South.
West would much prefer to have a
clear source of tricks when he doubles.
Another heart would be a good
step in this direction. For instance:
sA Q hK Q J 9 8 dA J 4 c8 7 4.
This hand suggests you may take
four hearts and two aces, and your
sQ and dJ may add something. Even
more important on this hand is that
you have 17 HCP, which means that
your partner may have a few and may
get in. If partner gets on lead, you
will have chances to set 1NT doubled
more than one trick, something that
is harder to do when you don't have a
clear source of tricks other than your
high cards. Double if you must but
don't expect Christmas to come early.
s 8 7 2
h 7 6 4 2
d J 5 4
c A 10 7
s J 6 5 4
h 8 5
d 8 7 6
c 6 5 4 3
BY MIKE LAWRENCE
michaelslawrence.com
Passing with the 19-point hand
at the top of this article is a strong
possibility. In fact, if you are playing
against a strong 1NT opening bid,
I suggest you give up the penalty
double.
What about when you have one suit
or two suits? Bidding against a strong
1NT bid is fine when have a good
suit. If you have a respectable weak
two-bid, bidding your suit is a winning
idea. Bidding when you have a
balanced hand and a broken five-card
suit is a losing idea. For instance,
against 1NT, no one vulnerable, you
should consider bidding 2s with this
hand:
sA J 10 7 6 4 h2 dQ 10 8 5 c8 7,
but not this hand:
sK J 8 7 3 hK Q J dQ 8 5 cQ 9.
Balanced hands with boring suits
are not worth the effort. Pass and
hope you get a plus score in some less
dangerous fashion.
If you have two suits, you have
more reason to bid. Any hand with
5-5 shape, for instance, is worth
a thought. Even hands with lesser
shape can be worth bidding. Vulnerability
and suit quality play a role, so
don't interpret this article to give you
an excuse for going down 500.
A lot has been written about various
conventions you can use over
1NT. My thought here is that you
should definitely use one of them.
Choose one that your partner and you
can agree on. 2
54 | Bridge Bulletin | March 2024
http://www.michaelslawrence.com
March 2024

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